The Edge of Empty

Those who know me will not be surprised to learn that, of all my classes, I am most excited about Criminal Law this semester. From the time I picked up A Study in Scarlet , I was hooked on crime and Sherlock Holmes was my hero. Over the years, I have read and watched anything Sherlock related from "The Great Mouse Detective" to the BBC's  Sherlock . You might wonder what any of that has to do with this week's word which is  carouse . Per Dictionary.com , to carouse, is to engage in a drunken revel. This is not something that I have ever been inclined to do. However, a bit of me likely lived vicariously through the villains in those old stories. Also, for some reason, carouse makes me think of my grandfather and the stories he told of his time in the Army. Anyway, while reading for Criminal Law, I have seen several fun words that will likely appear here in the future. The first, carouse, is mentioned in the case of People v. Beardsley  heard by the Supreme Court ...

This week's word is complicit and has been chosen as Dictionary.com's Word of the Year . It isn't a word that I have encountered in my law school reading yet, but it is certainly a word that may apply to future clients. Dictionary.com defines complicit as "choosing to be involved in an illegal or questionable act, especially with others; having partnership or involvement in wrongdoing." Although the word has been in use since the 1800's, usage of the word was revitalized this year when a sketch on Saturday Night Live featured Scarlett Johansson as Ivanka Trump touting a new fragrance. Then, Ivanka herself was interviewed on CBS this morning and admitted to not knowing what complicit means. Finally, Senator Flake of Arizona announced his retirement and stated "I won't be complicit." It is fascinating to see etymology taking place right in front of us. Will our great-grandchildren someday look up complicity and see these usages explai...